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History of Pacific Orange
The nation of Pacific Orange has experienced a turbulent history of ups and downs filled with memories of authoritarian government, economic depression and spectres of national defeat and humiliation mixed with the joys of democratic reform, times of national prosperity and ultimate victory and national survival in both Great Patriotic Wars. Originally established on the 2nd March 1947, Pacific Orange has gone through four republics in its existence from the loose federation of the First Republic to the more federally oriented Fourth Republic. The First Republic and the First Great Patriotic War Founded on the 2nd March 1947 following the collapse of the old union of Pacific Blue, the original Federation of Pacific Orange was a loose confederation of essentially independent states bound together by a weak federal body whose survival was subject to the continuing compliance of powerful state legislatures. Alas, such government was doomed not to last and less than five years after the federation began, the First Republic of Pacific Orange collapsed under the strains of the First Great Patriotic War. Attacked simultaneously by the nations of ... and ..., Pacific Orange tottered despairingly towards the brink of defeat, suffering humiliating reversals including a crippling rout at the Battle of Bryce's Harbour . Fortunately certain elements within the population triumphed over those in favour of a unilateral ceasefire and Pacific Orange - following the timely assistance of troops and material from its sister nation of Stalinstan - ultimately achieved victory and national independence with the signing of the Peace of Saint Victoria on the 31st June 1952. Postwar Instability and the Second Republic What followed however was a period of economic stagnation and political instability wherein the newly reformed federal authority proved unable to deal with the myriad of problems plaguing the reconstruction of the nation. An almost successful communist coup and the threat of secession by the northern states from the federation was in the end all it took for the Second Republic of Pacific Orange to be dissolved on the 15th October 1958 in favour of a federal government empowered with greater legislative and executive authority over the states. Under the new republic and constitution, Pacific Orange saw the first of its 'Golden eras' where stability at home and a boom in the international markets saw the nation soar to new heights throughout the 1960's. The Second Patriotic War Unfortunately, Pacific Orange's success did little to endear it to neighbours such as Wolverley angry with the redistribution of power and wealth within the region. Thus on the 7th January 1968, the Second Great Patriotic War began. However, unlike in the previous conflict wherein Pacific Orange forces had been initially caught off guard and thrown into confusion and defeat, the drastic increases in military expenditure saw the nation's armed forces fight a sustained and well coordinated retreat towards the country's Central Highlands. Nonetheless with the northern areas under enemy occupation, not to mention much of the nation's industrical areas as well, Pacific Orange looked to be once again on the brink of national collapse. Ultimately, a stunning reversal of fortunes at the Battle of Franklin on the 19th May 1968 saw Pacific Orange forces regain the offensive; pushing the Wolverley army back towards the sea at a rate of 40 miles per day. Faced by the end of September with a complete annihilation of its invading forces, Wolverley agreed, under the terms of the Treaty of Portmaneau, to immediately withdraw all its remaining forces from Pacific Orange territory. The rise of the military and the dominance of the Nationalist Party Yet the massive increases in the power and prestige of the republic's armed forces accompanying victory in the Second Patriotic War was not without consequence. Riding upon an unprecendented wave of popularity in the immediate postwar period, the military soon became the dominant powerbloc in the Pacific Orange state with former members of its senior leadership enjoying prominent roles in Pacific Orange government. The effects of this on the political scene was soon not hard to miss. As the conservative elements in parliament found themselves at loggerheads with more liberal elements firmly opposed to the planned expansion of the armed forces as part of the nation's post war reconstruction, talks began between the ruling nationalist government of Pawws and certain sections of the military's senior leadership in an effort to break the constitutional deadlock. What emerged was the army's declaration of support on the 28th March 1969 wherein it pledged to back the decisions of the current nationalist presidency with force need be. With the weight of the military firmly behind them and playing upon fears of a possible repeat of the national destabilisation which had occured during the last reconstruction, the Nationalists enjoyed a crushing landslide victory in the elections of December 1969 gaining majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives. For the first time in the nation's history, a party had managed to singlehandedly gain a control of both houses of parliament, setting the stage for the onset of the Third Republic. The Third Republic and the Pawws era Politically unchallengeable, the Nationalists soon set about transforming the country. Arguing that weak federal government had been the primary cause for the failings of the initial reconstruction effort during the 1950's, Pawws on the 3rd April 1970 announced the establishment of a federal Reconstruction Committee empowered to oversee all matters pertaining to the nation's postwar reconstruction. Whilst technically answerable to both parliament and the president, the committee was dominated by nationalists and former military elements leading to criticisms by many of cronyism and paternalism, particularly as Pawws began to increasingly use his presidential powers of veto to reject attempts by those within parliament to regulate the Committee's decisions. Thus for a period of three years, the committee - and through it Pawws - exercised considerable control over the workings of the nation, stripping much of what remained of the state's diminished power and carrying out a program of enforced privatisation throughout much of the country's industrial and financial sectors. Despite cries by many political opponents that such actions were unconstitutional and fundementally undemocratic, the early 1970's saw further increases in the nation's economic growth so that by late 1973, Pacific Orange had become the financial and industrial powerhouse of the region. Indeed enjoying the fruits of Pacific Orange's continued prosperity, many in the population voted to continue the nationalists domination of parliament and in a national plebiscite held on the 5th January 1974, approved the inception of the Third Republic wherein federal authority was extended at the expense of state legislatures - now replaced by regional governors appointed directly by the Presidency itself. And in a gesture of support and goodwill, the military announced the creation of a new oath of allegiance in which loyalty was sworn not just to the state but to the President himself. Now reasonably confident in the solidarity of his position, Pawws on the 6th May 1974 publicly proclaimed his decision to pursue an extension of his term - the so called position of 'President for life' - which was passed in a referendum declared by many of the Nationalists' opponents as biased and rigged. Four coups and a revolution Whilst the Nationalist government had taken considerable efforts to endear itself to the military establishment by both appropriating considerable amounts of revenue for the nation's military expenditure and substantial payments to senior individuals within the military establishment, the mid-1970's nonetheless saw an emerging rift between the Presidency and military as the Nationalists - facing drastic upturn in international oil prices and rate of stagflation - were forced to abort planned increases in the Pacific Orange armed forces. And adding salt to the wound, Pawws on the 15th September 1974 announced in an effort to reduce inflationary pressures, the abolition of all existing banking institutions - including the Pacific Orange Military Bank - in favour of a centrally operated, federal Reserve Bank with which to regulate the flow of money within the country. Angered by the decline in its influence within the current Nationalist government and now by the expected loss of revenue as well, disaffected elements within the military mounted a coup against the government in October 1974, forcing Pawws into exile and appointing a puppet caretaker government in his place. However, the new military junta proved inept at handling the affairs of the nation and amidst spiralling inflation and unemployment as well as popular discontent, other more moderate sections of the military began brokering an agreement with the exiled former President in a bid to restore the Nationalist government and the military's prestige in Pacific Orange society. Thus after less than a month in office, the ruling military junta was overthrown in early December as military units loyal to Pawws gained swift and rapid control of the country, allowing the President to declare on the 12th December 1974 a general restoration of the Third Republic. In exchange, Pawws agreed to appoint several military figures to key positions within his reestablished government. Spying an opportunity in the tumultous period accompanying Pawws' restoration to power, radical left wing elements within Pacific Orange sought to overthrow the predominantly conservative government by calling for a general revolution against the so called "Nationalist Regime." Beginning from the 20th December, armed uprisings swept the entire country plunging the country into essentially civil war as left wing paramilitary units battled Nationalist security forces and the military for control of Pacific Orange. Despite the scale upon which the 'revolution' was launched and certain military successes, the revolutionaries had by January of the following year been by and large defeated, confined to small pockets of resistance scattered throughout the country. Thus following the surrender and summary execution of certain revolutionary leaders on the 14th February 1975, Pawws could confidently assert that the "communist insurection has come to close. Order has been restored to the nation." Nonetheless, Pawws' position as President was less than secure. Whilst he may have retained the backing of the military for the time being, Pawws was under no illusions regarding the reliance of his government on essentially the continued support of an every demanding military establishment, anxious to preserve its status as the powerbroker within Pacific Orange society. As the recent military coup had shown, in order to consolidate his Presidency Pawws needed to find a counterweight to the army's power and influence. Thus in pursuing this aim, the establishment of a Ministry of the Interior was announced on the 28th February 1975 supposedly for the protection of domestic security against certain - and conveniently ambiguous - subversive elements within society but in actuality for the protection of the Presidency against military intrigue. Staffed by individuals selected on the basis of their loyalty to the President, the Ministry was equipped with its own troops and material and thus could function as an organisation entirely separate from the influences of the military. Furthermore, the rapid explosion in the size and capabilities of the Ministry of the Interior throughout 1975 meant that few within the military establishment could hardly ignore this new competition to the power of the military within the Pacific Orange state. Thus following the refusal by Pawws to appoint a military backed figure to the post of Minister of the Interior, a second military coup was carried out on the 15th December 1975. Unlike the first, Pawws using the newly commisioned Ministry of the Interior troops successfully suppressed the plotters' attempts, forcing its leaders into exile. However, the third abortive coup nontheless represented a considerable blow to Pawws' political fortunes. Whilst he may have successfully defended his position against military intrigue, the coup put to nought notions that he still retained the backing of the military, still seen by many as the most important powerbloc within Pacific Orange. Hence in an attempt to restore that image, Pawws orchestrated a fourth, supposed coup against his government on the 27th December 1975 using military units loyal to the Presidency to carry out both the 'coup' and 'counter-coup'. Safely insulated against the machinations of the military, there now seemed to little to undermine Pawws' presidency. The 1979 energy crisis and the end of the Pawws era The last years of the Pawws era was marked by increasing authoritarianism as the Ministry of the Interior expanded rapidly in size to become a large and complex organisation focused primarily on suppressing opponents of the Third Republic. Popular protests coupled with harsh police crackdowns soon became the norm as a vocal civil society emerged to challenge authoritarian rule, particularly as the Third Republic failed to ameliorate the downwards spiral in the nation's economy and industry. Matters soon came to a head with the onset of the 1979 energy crisis as rocketing oil prices fed once again an explosion in unemployment. Unable to deal adequately with the economic recession, Pawws was forced to raise taxes in order to fund his Minister of the Interior troops. Such measures at a time of hardship and difficulty not surprisingly generated much public hostility, and a series of strong protests composed primarily of students and labor unions escalated following the imposition of martial law. On the 18th May 1979, a confrontation broke out in Saint Victoria between Ministry of the Interior troops and students of the Saint Victoria National University protesting against the closure of their university, a long time hotbed of anti-Pawws sentiment and activity. For a period of nine days, the rioters successfully resisted brutal suppression by the Ministry of the Interior but finally on the 27th May, weakened and starved, armed police backed by tanks and armoured personnel carriers successfully broke past the barricades and forcibly dismantled the protest. Immediate estimates of the civilian death toll ranged from a few dozen to 2000 ( though a later full investigation by the civilian government would find only 207 deaths ). Nonetheless public outrage over the killings consolidated nationwide support for a restoration of democracy, helping to trigger another wave of popular protests against the Third Republic. Ultimately too large for the Ministry of the Interior's security forces to handle, the demonstrations forced Pawws to step down on the 18th August 1979 announcing the dissolution of the Third Republic and the first democratic elections to be held since 1974. The Fourth Republic and the period of Conservative Rule Following the transfer of power from the authoritarian Third Republic of Pawws in December 1980, the Fourth Republic was founded on 24th December 1980. Owing to the nature of Pacific Orange politics since 1974, the only party capable of mounting an effective electoral campaign in the elections of Jnauary 1981 was the Nationalist Party which was elected to majorities once again in both houses of parliament - albeit by a much diminished margin. However unlike before, more moderate elements within the party now triumphed and the new Nationalist government headed by ... ( Pawws having been forced into exile as per the ... Accords ) pursued a policy - which still nonetheless reactionary - respected individual freedoms and rights. Nonetheless, campaigning strongly on a platform of liberty and equality, a Labor / Socialist coalition gained a sufficient number of votes to form a promising counterweight to Nationalist power in both houses of parliament. This new period of conservative rule saw s significant amount of reform being implemented within the Pacific Orange state. The Ministry of the Interior which had by the end of the 1970's come to employ close to a quarter of the population was stripped immediately of its security role with many former Ministry of the Interior personnel transferred to positions within the Pacific Orange police force. Laws such as the Enabling Law or Law for the Protection of the Welfare of the State - which had legitimised the suspension of civil liberties - were repealed, replaced by a new constitution enshrining a bill of rights approved via referendum by the population. And in the economic spheres of life, many of the companies and assets which had previously been owned by Pawws or his closest associates were liquidated or otherwise privatised, the revenue generated used to fund the economic restoration of the nation as ... sought to mould Pacific Orange to fit with the new international financial climate. In pursuing this aim, the Nationalist government decided upon a process of semi-nationalisation wherein key areas of the Pacific Orange economy would be developed under initially government run firms, funded by a mixture of state revenue and private investment. After a period of four years, the government agreed to reduce its stake in each company first from 80% to 60%, and then from 60% to 40%, allowing private investors to gain increasing control over the company in turn. Ultimately, the companies to be born from this scheme were the Pacific Orange Utilities Company ( responsible for improving the nation's infrastructure ), Gerhard Ritter Companies Inc. ( to handle the development of the nation's agricultural sector ), the Vosges Lumber Company, the Lagrange Equities Group ( the investment arm of Pacific Orange ) and the Morgenroete Armaments Corporation ( overseeing the development of the nation's military capabilities ). Whilst such policies drew warnings by certain figures over the threat of cartelisation, the scheme nonetheless helped to sow the seeds for Pacific Orange's future prosperity, enabling the nation to undergo rapid modernisation and industrialisation throughout the 1980's. The collapse of the Socialist Party Success with its "New Economy" policies along with economic stability throughout the 1980's, bolstered the Nationalists' popularity and saw a subsequent downturn in the Socialist / Labor coalition's electoral fortunes. Despite mounting an intense and ... campaign which saw the coalition at one point holding a brief lead in the opinion polls, in the June 1983 elections, the Nationalists 47% of the vote and the Socialist / Labor coalition only 22%. Although the Nationalists' share of the vote had fallen slightly since the December 1979 elections, the Socialist / Labor coalition vote had fallen by far more with the result that the Nationalists won a landslide victory being returned once again to a majority in both Houses of Parliament. Unable to reconcile over the question of whether to continue the coalition's pledge for wholesale nationalisation in the aftermath of their crushing electoral defeat, the Socialist / Labor coalition soon fell apart with the Labor party repudiating the pledge whilst the Socialists continued to remain strongly in favour. Though the two parties were no longer formally associated with each other, members of both sides continued often to back similar positions in parliament leading many to question whether a real split had taken place. Such queries were soon put to an end when in the 1986 elections, the Labor party campaigned on a program of semi-privatisation of certain national assets, vehemently opposed by their former Socialist allies. Whilst both parties were unable to unseat the Nationalists from government, it was ultimately the Labor party which triumphed: polling strongly to gain for the first time a majority in the Senate. By contrast, the Socialists suffered another devestating reversal of electoral fortunes and by the late 1980's the party was facing political oblivion. Debate soon arose over a possible reformation of the party's constitution away from a radical left wing program of nationalisation and equalisation of wealth to a more moderate platform focused on state funded social welfare and semi-nationalisation. The resultant party acrimony saw the collapse of the Socialist Party as a single political body by May 1988 as radical elements led by ... split to form the Socialist Unity Party. In response, moderate factions under ... formally announced the dissolution of the Pacific Orange Socialist Party and the foundation of the present day Republican Party of Pacific Orange in its place. The admission of the New Territories and the rise of New Labor